


Kickback Convention Time

by Krisser__kris



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: First Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-08-18
Updated: 2004-08-18
Packaged: 2017-12-05 16:58:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/725660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krisser__kris/pseuds/Krisser__kris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The boys have to go to a convention in Hawaii, and find more than what they're looking for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kickback Convention Time

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, Mary for the Beta and thank you to Akablonded and Patt for the artwork. 
> 
> MyMongooseEzine - Many Tales of Jim and Blair Premiered: August 10, 2004

**Kickback Convention Time**

**by Krisser**

"Sandburg. Ellison. My office, now!" Captain Banks felt a great release of pressure at yelling out their names. They may have the best closure rate within the division but it was still a pain in the ass to deal with ... them and all the other. He poured himself a fresh cup of coffee and waited.

Jim Ellison sought out his partner with his eyes and raised his brows in question. Simon's tone could only mean that Sandburg must have done something once again to get up their captain's nose.

Blair Sandburg shrugged in his innocent who-me way, having no clue as to Simon's current ire.

They entered and were greeted by the scent of fresh brewing coffee. Simon indicated they should help themselves.

"Close the door." The Captain commanded while keeping his face blank.

The Sentinel focused on his boss and friend and could sense that he wasn't truly upset. He relaxed.

Blair got the same impression from reading Simon's body language. "What's up?"

The Captain eyed his officers silently for a few moments before announcing, "There's a law enforcement convention coming up and the Mayor has decided you should attend, Jim. They will be honoring Cops-of-the-Year and the Mayor wants Cascade represented." Simon Banks sat back and waited for the protestations to start and he wasn't disappointed.

"Simon, it's a damn waste of time..." Jim blustered.

"Captain, I have to testify in court," Blair said at the same time.

"Gentlemen, when did it sound like an option? This is an order, it comes from above me." Simon glanced at his master calendar and pinned Sandburg with his piercing gaze. "Sandburg, your courts dates are over a month away. You'll be back in plenty of time." Simon had the satisfaction of watching his men shift in their seats before reluctantly agreeing.

"Fine." Jim's tone implied anything but, "When, where and for how long?"

"Next week, Hawaii, five days." Simon couldn't hold in his smug smile inside when he saw how upon hearing the location it changed the attitudes of his officers.

Blair realized that the Captain had actually only mentioned Jim in the Mayor's request. "Ah, Simon, will I be attending as well?"

Banks knew that although Sandburg hadn't been Ellison's official partner when his detective had received the Cop-of-the-year awards, he had been right there beside him the whole time. He was as deserving of the recognition as Ellison. No one higher seemed to agree so Simon had rectified it as he thought best.

"The Mayor's budget is paying for Jim's way and accommodations. My department is picking up your fare, Sandburg, but you'll have to share a hotel room with Jim."

"Well, at least there'll be maid service to pick up his towels," Jim smiled, indicating that he was teasing about his roommates self-housekeeping, or lack thereof.

The maligned just shook his head, his thoughts on something else. Sentinel soft, Blair whispered, "You know, I have three vacation days built up..."

"Simon, since we'll already be there, can we take two or three extra days?" Jim asked without acknowledging that he had heard his partner's request.

"Yeah, three days." The Captain knew Sandburg had the time accrued. "Just make sure you attend the Cop-of-the-year recognition. Don't want to piss off the Mayor. He's paying for it." Banks grinned.

\-------

They landed in Honolulu, located on the island of Oahu. Except for the clear blue water, abundant floral shirts and zorries it was like any big crowded city. It reminded Jim of New York City or Miami.

They were lei greeted by the civilian staff of the Honolulu Police Department. "Aloha, welcome to Hawai'i," was said with each lei placement.

Jim had his senses dialed back at his guide's reminder so he almost missed Benedict's comment.

"Only lay you can count on here, Ellison," Officer Roy Benedict, Seattle's own Cop-of-the-Year, and general pain in the ass. He had rescued a family from a sinkhole and now he believed his own press.

Jim Ellison ignored him and moved along to join Blair at the baggage carousel. He was glad his partner had been too far away to overhear Benedict's additional comment to the greeter.

"Oops, I was wrong, guess Ellison will get laid. He brought his boy toy partner." The tone and emphasis placed on partner conveyed exactly what he had intended.

Jim ignored that, too, like all overheard speculation. He never wondered why it didn't disturb him more, he only worried about his partner overhearing. He walked away, concentrating on collecting the baggage and finding their driver. Upon doing so they headed for Waikiki.

Blair smiled to himself as they checked into their hotel, The Big Kahuna. Whoever booked the place had a sense of humor. In another five hours the place would be full of cops who thought they were just that.

Not that Blair wasn't one of them now, but he would never really think the same as the run-of-the-mill cop, and, actually, that was okay. He and Jim worked best not thinking completely alike.

They registered and went up to their room. Two queen beds, a nice view and air conditioning made it a great room.

Jim unpacked as Blair read the convention day by day itinerary.

"This isn't a bad schedule. Mornings have optional outings and the afternoons are filled with seminars. Tomorrow is snorkeling at Hanuma Bay, a must and Tuesday is a trip to Pearl Harbor. Wednesday is Cops-Of-The-Year-Day, with the evening at the Polynesian Cultural Center which includes a luau and a show." Blair flipped the sheet over, "Thursday has a catamaran and surfing competition. Friday is a guest speaker and exit day. Our flight for Maui is for early evening so we can get in the hike to Diamond Head and the Bishop museum."

"And why do we need to go to another museum, Darwin?"

"Because it has ancient artifacts from the seven different cultures that make up Polynesia." Blair didn't take Jim's tone to heart, he knew that his partner would love it once he was there.

"So what about this evening?" Jim was actually content to stay in the room and catch a ballgame.

Blair looked up and smiled, "A sunset dinner cruise. I already booked it as it fills quickly."

"Well, we have a few hours, so let's go check out the beaches of Waikiki." Jim was already changing into his swim trunks.

"Right behind you." Blair changed quickly, grabbed beach towels and followed Jim out the door.

\----------

As they boarded the bus for Pearl Harbor, Blair was still going on about the snorkeling trip the day before.

"The water was so clear and warm. I'd forgotten how warm the ocean can get."

"No wet suit was a nice change," Jim agreed as he took a seat away from the engines.

"The parrotfish eating the coral was my favorite." Blair smiled in fond remembrance.

Jim shook his head, "I dunno, the Yellowtail Wrasse or the Long-nose Butterflyfish had the corner on color... and the colors were so sharp. It was a nice change from some of the murky water I've dived into." He sat back in his seat next to Blair and they both looked out the window.

It was a short half-hour drive to the memorial site and before long they were unloading and getting into another line. This one to get a boat ticket for passage to the actual memorial. They had a good hour wait.

Jim pointed out the audio guided tour desk and they both converged on it. This way they could see the museum exhibits at their own pace in whatever order they wished. They'd be able to turn off the audio equipment when their turn came up and finish up afterward if necessary. Jim paid for both out of habit and ushered Blair to the starting point at the full wall mural.

They each took in the displays in their own time and order. They met up in the open courtyard where they could easily see the next destination. The outside was just as interesting to Jim, he could see the detail on the anchored battleships and submarine.

"The museum is amazing, man." Blair pushed the headphones off his ears. Hearing their lot number called, he moved Jim to the theatre doors.

"The docent said that seventy percent of the visitors are Japanese." Jim was stunned at the number.

"It's their history, too." Blair looked around, "One feels connected here."

After the film about that fateful day in December, everyone in attendance was very subdued. They boarded the passenger boat and took the short trip to the sunken ship.

Jim felt as though he could hear the echoes of the past. Even his talkative partner remained silent, as though in respect of the past that seemed to live on here.

Blair said as much on the return boat trip.

They returned the headsets and headed out to the parking lot.

"I wanted to know where all the survivors were now, how they fared. The past truly connected with the present out there." Blair still felt respectful.

"Those that survived can have their ashes placed here if they choose. Seems most have."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

They boarded the bus with the other law enforcement convention attendees and headed back to Waikiki.

\---------

Ellison was relieved that the only hullabaloo about the Cop-of-the-Year was standing in recognition, as their names were called and living through the applause.

Amid the applause, Jim looked down at his partner. He knew that Blair was just as deserving but was rarely told. He'd have to make a point of doing so... well, sometime this year. Maybe make it a yearly thing; he didn't want Sandburg to get a big head.

As they stepped onto yet another bus, Ellison couldn't help thinking that they were spending more time on buses than in lecture halls.

The Polynesian Cultural Center was a spectacular enterprise. College age youth from the seven represented cultures worked at the center in their respective cultures in order to pay for their college tuition. Each village had several things that were representative of the specific culture.

Blair's favorite was the Tongan village. The drum demonstration by itself was incredible, but when they chose apprentice drummers from the audience, Blair laughed aloud when Jim was picked.

The chief drummer would pound out a beat and expect Jim to copy it. The Sentinel heard and copied exactly. By the third series, Jim was so focused on copying the drumbeat he didn't actually listen to it. It was only after focusing on his guide's voice telling him to listen to the drums did he realize that he was suppose to answer the cadence. After he did, the audience cheered and Jim grinned and whooped in return.

"Man, that was fun." Blair greeted his partner. He handed him a bottle of water that Jim drank down thirstily.

Jim had to agree as he grinned, "Yeah, it was fun."

Later, the nighttime performance rivaled any Broadway show and he was pleased that Jim seemed to enjoy it as much as he had. The Samoan fire performers were their favorites.

\-----------

Thursday morning, Jim felt more in his purview, in the water, on a surfboard. Coming in second to the Honolulu captain felt even better. It also reminded him how much he missed surfing on a regular basis.

The programs started after an early lunch and wound down in time for the attendees to change for the sunset luau. The Tongan drummers had Blair and Jim sharing a smile at the shared memory of yesterday's outing.

Blair treasured the smile. These moments came more easily now. The last year and a half had been the most difficult of his life. The dissertation fiasco not equaling the fear he'd had at truly losing Jim. First Alex, then Naomi. Giving up fame and fortune for friendship still seemed the best choice.

And, if friendship was all he reaped, then so be it. Jim had had enough startling announcements within the past few years and he didn't need anymore. Especially one such as he had; he loved Jim way more than a friend.

As the procession of King Kamehameha entered, he couldn't help but compare it to his own small life altering ceremony.

While working as a police detective had not been on his original life map of goals, it turned out to be so much more.

His skills that were usually applied to the already dead, were now used to help the living. This new path allowed him to spend more time with his soul mate. It was actually the ease in which he had made the press conference decision that had showed him that this was the best course for him.

One of the most surprising turnarounds that had transpired though, was that of William Ellison.

On hearing the ramifications of the press conference and the actual events that led to it, the senior Ellison intervened by utilizing his own attorney. On behalf of Blair Sandburg, he sued Sid Graham for wrongful publication. He won.

Now, Blair didn't have to worry about his unpaid student loans. He had a healthy bank account and he didn't have to depend on the generosity of Jim. Blair worked with his sentinel because he wanted to, not because he had to.

Life was almost perfect. Almost.

The Samoan fire performers brought Blair back to real time and he watched in awe as the Samoan Chief twirled two duel end flaming batons.

They ate heartily and it was a nice closing to the Hawaiian conference.

The next morning, Ellison and Sandburg said their alohas to fellow officers and made for the concierge desk. They stored their luggage there while they took the trolley to Diamond Head. After the hike they headed back to collect their luggage. They took a taxi to the Bishop Museum. They roamed the mini museums together until it was time to go to the airport to catch the island hopper to Maui. They landed less than a half-hour later.

"We spent more time in the boarding hassle than we did in the air," Blair commented as they collected their luggage.

They stayed in a smaller hotel in Pai'a and enjoyed exploring the quaint town that evening. Back at the hotel, they arranged to do a thirty-eight mile downhill bike ride of Halekala Volcano and a snorkeling excursion of Molokini Crater and Turtle Cove on days two and three.

On their first day they drove to Hana and stopped to eat at Big Mama's Fish House. They found that it lived up to its reputation for outstanding cuisine. They stopped at the different waterfalls along the way until they reached the Seven Sacred Pools. Again, both men felt the adventure lived up to the billing.

The following morning they were collected from their hotel at six a.m. for the snorkeling trip and Blair didn't mind the early wake-up call in his excitement of seeing and swimming with green sea turtles.

Jim wasn't as keen as his partner, he had scuba dived in many exotic places, but he said nothing to detract from Blair's enthusiasm.

They were on the water by seven a.m. and headed to the turtle cove. The clear blue water was a joy to sentinel eyes. He could see with ease and was pleased to behold a variety of fish swimming around the coral. But the best sight of the morning was his guide's expression at his first sea turtle sighting.

The aquatic reptile rose up slowly from the bottom, eyed Blair before reaching up and drawing in a breath of air. They both watched the turtle swim slowly about in an unconcerned manner. It moved off in search of food, shifting its great body weight with ease. They kept abreast of the turtle for a short while until the terrapin put on some real speed and was gone. Jim was able to follow its progress much longer than Blair and was surprised at his own sense of awe.

Blair broke the surface, "Man, that was so cool."

Jim could see him bouncing even though he was treading water.

They watched the parrotfish bite off chunks of coral and stayed a safe distance from a pufferfish. Both men were disappointed when the skipper called all the snorkellers back to the boat.

They were served muffins and POG juice on the way to Molokini.

"Okay, Jim, what's in the juice?" Blair knew because he had asked when he went back for more. He was hoping Jim could discern the different flavors.

Jim held a swallow in his mouth and opened his sense of taste. "Orange, for sure, and I would guess ... guava. It's similar to the stuff you have at home. The "P" flavor isn't pineapple, it's distinct, but I'm unfamiliar with it." He looked to his guide for the answer.

"Passionfruit." Blair smiled, proud with the ease that his sentinel cataloged the flavors.

Jim filed it away and finished his drink, Molokini was coming into view.

They arrived at the almost fully submerged crater forty minutes later. The old volcanic island was now little more than a maternity colony for Frigatebirds. The coral in the crater center was extensive and easy to see, as again the water was startling in its clarity. Jim and Blair jumped in, anticipating another pleasant experience.

None were more surprised that Jim, himself, when he saw a body tucked under some of the deepest coral. The Sentinel signaled his guide to the surface.

"Sandburg, there's a body down there."

"Are you sure?" Blair asked out of habit, not because he doubted the sentinel skills.

"Yes, he's dead."

Jim was about to alert someone when Blair pulled his arm.

"Jim, I can't see anything, man. You have to get closer. We don't want to attract undue attention on how you came to see it so far under." Blair was much more in tune to ramifications than ever before.

Jim took a breath, Sandburg was right, the victim was already dead. He dove under with ease of his training and stayed under as long as he could. When he broke surface he waved frantically to gain the captain's attention.

Rescue was dispatched along with the Maui police. Jim and Blair were transferred to the police boat and began the endless question process on the boat and back at the precinct.

They identified themselves as police detectives but that didn't seem to carry any weight with the Lieutenant sitting across from Jim.

"How was it that you were able to see the body?" Lieutenant Paraho asked for the third time.

"I was free diving and I have excellent eye sight. That is documented. You can call my captain to verify that." Jim offered for the second time.

"We will, Mr. Ellison."

"Detective."

"Not here. You are not in your jurisdiction, here," Paraho looked again at the pictures of the dead man wedged into the coral bed. "Why were you diving on a snorkeling trip?"

Jim was getting annoyed, "I am an ex-army Ranger and was just testing myself. Don't get the chance to dive in clear water much and was just taking advantage."

"Did you know the victim?"

"No, or I should say, I don't believe so. I didn't see enough to identify him, just that there was a body." Jim knew the time of death would reveal that the man was already dead when he and Blair were on the boat on its trip to the crater, but he had to admit that the lack of professional courtesy was annoying.

Blair found almost the same situation in his dealings.

"Did you know the victim?" Sergeant Kealoha asked Sandburg.

"How would I know? I haven't seen him yet. I only know it's a 'him' because everyone is referring to him that way."

"And Ellison saw the body?"

"Yea-ah. I told you, his eyesight is awesome. He's got the best the Cascade PD has ever come across. He's been put through the tests a zillion times." Blair was genuinely enthusiastic.

"A zillion?"

Blair hid a smile; the man was exceedingly veritable. "Okay, but at least twenty times. You don't know how many times some defense attorney thought he had his ace when he was trumped by the DA's certification of Jim's vision."

The sergeant found he had to stifle a smile at his witness's enthusiasm. He also believed him. "You want some coffee?"

Blair smiled as he nodded, "Yeah, malaho."

\------------

After the precinct Captain received a return call from Simon Banks he okayed the release of Ellison and Sandburg. Apparently, Detective Ellison's vision was as good as he claimed.

Because the incident occurred during their paid excursion, Pacific Whale Foundation offered them another snorkel slot, free of charge. Blair took the coupon but didn't commit them. They were given a ride back to the Aquarium parking lot where Pacific Whale Foundation had a van and driver waiting to return them to their hotel.

Hungry, they walked down to Charlie's BBQ. Blair waited until they were digging into dessert before broaching the subject he was curious about.

"Did you discover how the guy died?"

"Strangled before he was tossed into the water. While the ligature marks aren't yet visible to the coroner's eyes, they were to mine. He'd probably been dead more than an hour before we arrived. He was wedged into the coral by other hands."

"I figured as much. No blood."

Jim finished his coffee with a pensive look.

Blair paused mid sip, "Hey, I know that look, you're remembering something." He leaned forward expectantly.

"I saw him at the convention."

"He's a cop?"

"No, he wasn't at any of the programs." Jim shook his head as the memory remained elusive.

"Okay, Jim, what you need to do is focus. We've done this before." Blair's attention was solely on his sentinel.

"I don't want to it here, Chief." Jim reminded his partner that they were still in the restaurant, in full view of the patrons.

Blair smiled sheepishly and looked for the waitress so he could pay the bill.

They opted to walk to the little local beach park instead of going back to the hotel. They found a spot devoid of locals and sat in the sand. Both men took their shoes off.

Jim spread his toes in the course sand enjoying the texture.

"Jim," Blair arrested his partner's attention away from the sand and prevented a zone. "Clear your mind. Focus on your breathing and my heartbeat."

Jim moved his head side to side in search of comfort and took several deep breaths. He concentrated on the melodic sounds of his Guide's voice and followed his instructions.

"Think of the dead guy's face, hold it aside then follow the memory trail. Trace it to the convention and tell me what you see."

The Sentinel saw the images that his guide's words created and he found his memory focusing on the face, only now it was alive and animated.

"It was after the bottle of chemical broke during the forensic demonstration. I stepped outside for some fresh air before I could even deal with dialing it down and saw him talking to one of the host policeman."

In his calming guide voice, Blair suggested, "Swing your eyes to look at the cop he's talking to. Have you seen him since?"

"Not here. He was around the convention. His uniform puts him with the Honolulu police."

"Great, Jim. You can open..."

"Hang on, Chief, while I didn't actually hear the conversation I did see their lips move." The Sentinel shifted his focus to the lips. "... Damn risky ... all these cops ... bound to catch on ... careful ... don't give me that tank ... I'm the one that'll get it pinned on." Jim shook his head, "That's all. I never could see the cop's lips."

His partner was beaming, "Jim, you never cease to amaze me." Blair's smile held pride and admiration. "You stretched all on your own. I used to have to coax you, now your skills are so finally honed it's automatic."

Blair's genuine praise stayed with Jim all the way to the Maui police station. He had finally learned that Blair's praise was without ulterior motive. He still couldn't say that about his father. He knew his old man was trying and, at Blair's urging, he was too. But he never felt the sincerity in his compliments as he did with Blair's.

They went to the front desk and asked for Captain Hulaki.

Lieutenant Paraho looked up and saw Cascade's super cop, if their Captain Banks was to be believed. He was less than thrilled when his captain called him over.

"Detective Ellison seems to remember seeing Jenko at the cop convention, he was with one of the HPD. Pull up the roster and let him check faces," Hulaki directed the lieutenant.

It was obvious to Blair that the man didn't quite believe Jim, but was going through the motions.

Paraho took them to his desk and punched up the Honolulu PD roster onto his screen. After looking at over a hundred faces, the Sentinel stopped him.

"That one, Tommy Chinn."

Paraho accessed his personnel information. "Works traffic. Airport area is his beat." After some more scrolling, he added, "He was assigned to the convention for the whole week." Paraho shrugged, "So you very well could have seen him there."

To Blair, his voice seemed to imply that he had found a link between them and the dead guy. "I'm sure many of the convention attendees have made their way to Maui as we did. We were only hoping we could help." He didn't like the attitude the cop was taking.

"Yeah. We know. Banks verified your vision and faxed a certified copy over. He also added that you are one of his better detecting teams, though I wasn't suppose to share that. Anyway, you both were on the boat at the time of the murder." His phone rang and he picked it up on after the first ring. He put it down just as quick. "Captain wants all three of us in his office now."

Ellison and Sandburg followed the Lieutenant into the Captain's office. They were immediately accompanied by two top brass types that looked like IA to Jim.

Before the Captain could say a word, the taller of the two jumped in brusquely, "Akela, Humo, Internal Affairs. First, you need to stop and desist any all investigation into Tommy Chinn. Second, I need to know why you accessed his files. Third, I need any information you may have collected. The Captain here, seems to believe it's on an unrelated case."

Paraho looked from the IA officer to his Captain. Seeing no real concern he explained fully.

Akela looked incredulous, "You accessed Tommy Chinn's file based on Ellison's ID?"

Paraho confirmed it with a nod.

The IA officer turned to the only howlies in the room, "So, Mr. Ellison, how do you know Jenko?"

"Detective Jim Ellison, Cascade Police Department, Major Crime Division. I found a dead body. Upon seeing a photo of this Jenko later, I recognized him from the law enforcement convention in Honolulu this past week." Ellison tried not to let his irritation show.

Akela kept his gaze pinned on Ellison. He didn't like arrogant coppers. He tried to use silence to put him off balance, but Ellison just sat there, waiting patiently.

Sandburg showed his agitation but remained silent as well.

The IA officer finally had to break his own silence. "Cascade? Where is that?"

"Washington state."

"Do you come to the islands often?"

No."

"How many times?"

"First. Was ordered to go for the convention."

"And you claim to have no prior knowledge of Jenko or Chinn?"

"I don't claim, I don't. On a snorkeling trip I saw a body crammed into the coral. Reported it. As I explained, when I saw a picture of the deceased, I remembered seeing him at the convention. I identified the man I saw him with as Tommy Chinn after seeing the members of the Honolulu police department roster. I reported that to this office."

"And how does he fit in?" Akela indicated Sandburg.

"He's my partner."

"Detective Blair Sandburg, Cascade PD. Major Crime Unit." Blair answered for himself.

"Do either of you travel to Los Angeles a lot?" Akela asked.

Not fooled by the non sequitur, Jim responded briskly, "No."

"Once. On a college break." Blair answered with a grin.

Akela looked up from the file on Jenko. "How was it you were able to see a body over a hundred feet below the surface?"

Jim sighed, but before he could answer Paraho spoke up.

"We wondered the very same thing. Then the Major Crime Captain, Simon Banks, faxed over the department's vision test on Ellison and apparently his extraordinary vision is well documented. It seems it gets brought up in court a lot." The Sergeant pointed out the last page of Ellison's file.

Akela sighed, disappointed that this wasn't the big break he was hoping for. He dropped his belligerent attitude and asked in a conciliatory tone, "Do you have anything else that could be of help?"

Jim struggled internally whether he should volunteer more and ask for more trouble or just keep silent, but the cop side won out. "I did hear some snippets of their heated discussion." Jim worded his statement carefully as Blair smiled his encouragement.

"They argued? You didn't mention that." Paraho jumped on the new information.

"We never got that far," Jim said dryly. "I could make out Jenko saying, -risky business, cops bound to catch on-"

"And Chinn?" Akela barked

"I heard nothing from him. He appeared angry but he never raised his voice."

Humo jotted down all Ellison said. He fixed his gaze on the out-of-state detectives but spoke to all the cops present. "We are conducting an investigation into Chinn. As it's on going you are ordered to keep quiet. If it leaks, we will start with you."

Akela added, "We reserve the right to call you in as witness it the need arises."

"Fine." Jim was of the opinion that all IA officers were the same. Or, were put through training to act like arrogant bastards. He kept his thoughts off his face.

Blair said much the same thing as the reached the parking lot.

"IA guys can be such dicks."

Jim smiled as he unlocked the door. "Yeah."

"I know they're essential but do they have to be such assholes to everyone?"

"It's a case of everyone being guilty until they prove otherwise. They see the worst in cops."

\-------------

They had an early night because the pick up time for the bike ride was two a.m.

Sunrise on Halekala was great to Blair's eyes but he found he enjoyed Jim's commentary of the pre-dawn more.

"The colors are so rich. The blues and reds are fading ever so slowly into the gold of sunrise."

Blair sucked in his breath, "Sometimes, I can almost see what you see."

"Wish you could, Chief. I would never have allowed myself to enjoy these senses if not for you. You were right, with control I really can determine how much without overload. I don't know that I say thank you enough."

Blair had no words. He grabbed Jim's arm and squeezed his acknowledgement and thanks. Jim patted Blair's hand in return.

They watched the sun clear the crater and shielded their eyes. It was time to head to the parking lot to pick up their bikes.

They couldn't cruise down as fast as they would have liked as the entire group was paced by the slowest rider. Jim and Blair elected to stay at the back so they could drop back and speed up. A van followed the procession to prevent local traffic from coming upon the bikers suddenly. So, the bikers were unprepared for the accident and commotion.

One vehicle sped up the volcano and the bike procession stayed to the right out of traffic's way. Another vehicle illegally passed the guide van and appeared, by witness accounts, to zero in on the bicyclers. Amid the shouts and honks, the bicyclers didn't know which way to go.

All Jim knew was that he watched in horror as Blair's bike was struck by the uphill vehicle. The bike and man careened over the edge out of sight. Jim jumped off his bike and ran to the edge. He saw a long, browned haired body, bent and broken, one hundred fifty feet below. Before he could focus his sentinel vision for signs of life, he was hit from behind and fell into darkness himself.

\--------

Jim Ellison woke alone in a hospital room confused, then memory flooded back and he writhed in mental agony at his loss. Blair couldn't be dead. All they'd been through, the long road back to a decent relationship, it couldn't be lost now. NO.

He exploded aloud. "No, Blair can't be dead." He said the words as though just saying them could make them true.

"He's not." Blair closed and locked the hospital room door behind him.

Upon seeing Blair alive, relief pumped life back into Jim's veins and all rational thought out. He crossed the room and pulled Sandburg into his arms. His words were disjointed phrases.

"I thought you were dead ... you're not dead ... god, not again ... too close ... stayed silent ... not this time ... not anymore ... take chances or lose all chances."

Blair returned the embrace while rubbing soft circles across his back.

"Jim, calm down," he didn't pull away, he liked the way it felt inside Jim's strong arms.

Soft blue eyes emerged from behind the fear and Blair was unsure of the message there. Afraid he was reading too much into the tender look.

Jim sucked in a breath, then swallowing his fear and uncertainty, he forced his heart into words. "You are more than a guide, a partner, a friend. You are the reason to get up every day, to be the best I can be. I love the shy, proud looks you give, I love the delight you radiate in new situations, I love you. Friend, brother, lover, all of it, you." Jim stopped, forcing in air as his heart raced on.

Stunned, Blair lifted a hand to check if a solid person was in front of him or just a figment of his longing. He was pleased to find a solid body under his touch.

He smiled.

Jim sucked in more air, then froze. That smile, the one that meant all in Blair's world was good, was shining on Blair's face. At that moment Jim's world tilted on its axis, spun, then lodged itself into place. Finally resting in such a way that all felt right as never before. The rest of his life clicked into place as well. He and Blair, together, side by side through whatever.

Blair leaned in and pressed himself closer to Jim. His arms hugged tighter and he mushed his face into the broad chest. The joy obvious, he whispered, "I love you, too, Jim. All the way, everything."

Eyes met, a moment and a lifetime shared. Lips met in promise. Tongues met in passion.

They moved to the bed on automatic. Clothes were equally discarded in favor of skin. Touching became the means of expression and Jim expressed all his locked away emotions with his heightened awareness, conveying all that he never expressed with words.

Blair gave equal measure, knowing how to use sentinel senses to their advantage. Jim soared, Blair soared and the evidence coated their bellies.

Tender joy filled Jim. He covered them after pulling Blair close. He listened to the steady breath of his living partner and followed him into sleep.

A loud pounding on the door woke them and spurred them into immediate action. Blair pulled his jeans closed and buttoned his shirt as Jim pulled the covers up to his shoulders.

Blair opened the door calmly.

"Why was the door locked?" Akela demanded as he entered the room followed by his partner.

"Caution. Someone tried to take us out of the picture and it seemed a smart precaution." Blair answered as though that was indeed the only reason.

Jim voiced his horrid memory, "I saw you dead on the rocks." He was looking at Blair, listening to the solid beat of his heart, reminding himself that Blair was alive.

"You saw a dead body, only it wasn't Sandburg. If you hadn't been hit you would have seen him climb back over the edge and take control of the situation."

"Your men certainly weren't," Blair defended his actions.

"We didn't expect what happened." Akela admitted.

"You had to have suspected something, otherwise, why did you have men in the downhill van?" Blair accused. He turned to his partner, "They leaked that we had identified Jenko's killer. They set us up." Blair's anger was still within reach and both IA men stepped back.

Akela sighed and figured he at least owed them an explanation. "We suspected Chinn had a network for smuggling. The airport provided a great means and easy cover. We even suspected that he had informants in many of the precincts. We had Captain Hulaki send us a memo regarding you and Ellison. We apprehended one of the civilian secretaries after she passed on the contents of the memo to Chinn's cell."

"It never occurred to you to inform us of your plan?" Jim's quiet tone belied the anger seething below the surface.

"We weren't absolutely sure you two were in the clear." Humo confessed.

"But putting our lives in danger seemed an okay trade-off? My partner could have easily been killed." There was no mistaking the anger now.

"You were both under surveillance." Akela almost sounded defensive.

"Obviously not close enough." Blair said dryly.

"We hadn't figured on one of the bikers being a Chinn plant."

"That's who hit you," Blair clarified for Jim.

"Blair, I saw you hit." Jim still couldn't rid himself of that image.

"The vehicle that grazed me was actually preventing the other vehicle from hitting either of us. I just tumbled over the side. Chinn's group had evidently made a practice run and one of their own team took a fatal fall. That's who you saw." Blair explained the facts as he learned them.

"Sandburg apprehended the guy that hit you and prevented the driver from escaping." Akela further shared.

"Yeah, with a bike helmet." Humo actually grinned with that bit of information.

"That doesn't surprise me," Jim smiled at his partner. "Can we leave now?" Jim directed this to Akela.

"After you sign your statements. You may be needed for trial. I'll let your Captain know."

Blair looked at his watch, "We missed our flight."

Akela shook his head, "We've taken care of that. You have a flight reserved for the day after tomorrow. We also called Captain Banks. Odd, he didn't seem surprised. Said he always expects the unexpected with you two."

Blair rolled his eyes before checking, "Hotel?"

"That, too."

"The hotel is where I'd like to be right now." Jim looked pointedly at the door.

The IA men got the hint. "Chinn is in custody, as is much of his network. We apologize for any inconvenience." Akela and Humo left before either Ellison or Sandburg could comment.

The door closed and Blair looked at Jim, "Hotel?"

"Hotel." Jim got out of bed, dressed and they headed for the release desk.

\-----

"We have a coupon for another sea adventure." Blair reminded Jim as he was snuggled in close bedside him.

"I'm quite content on another day of exploration." The seductive look wasn't hidden from Blair's view. "Right here in this room, in this bed."

"I like the way you think. I definitely like the way you think." Blair decided that Jim's mouth was a good place to start exploring.

The End


End file.
